Kidnapped By An Alpha Jerk

Chapter 29

April's POV

I ended back up in my room after what felt like hours of mindless wandering. My throat felt thick and my eyes were red from crying in the garden maze – I scrubbed at them angrily and then dropped back onto the bed. Crying as expected didn't get me anywhere - just a dry throat, wasted tears and red eyes.

I hardly ever cried.

I hated it.

I wonder what Kaden thinks? He's probably seen right through me. I hadn't seen Aiden since - and I was glad too. I felt ashamed that I'd cried and was angry too. All in all, my emotions were a mess, but I'd decided one thing. I wasn't going to be this girl that everyone can walk over – I'm going to stand up for myself and stop being so childish and naive. I need to live in the real world and accept my situation and go with it, until a better option comes along.

I must have drifted to sleep, because when I woke up the next day, sunlight was already peeping in through the curtains. I groaned and stood up, stretching. After hours of complete hibernation and reluctance to go downstairs, I finally mustered enough courage to go, praying that I wouldn't run into any of his brothers or him on the way. Most of the afternoon was quite boring – the only eventful thing that occurred was Diego pointing out Cole and Kaden's girlfriends or 'mates' as they like to call it.

I nearly dozed off again mid-afternoon, feeling completely useless, until a knock sounded from the other side of the door, snapping me awake again. The door opened quicker than I had time to reply. A man, with solemn features and eyeliner darkening his eyes walked in, his sharp eyes assessing me lying on my bed with a packet of crisps beside me.

What the hell?

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Octavian, your stylist for the annual Knight ball." Emma strode in after him, grinning.

"Ah, so you've met Octavian. Do you like him? What's he got in mind for you?" Emma bombarded me with questions. I backtracked and swivelled my eyes to the man, Octavian, again.

"Annual ball? What do you mean ball?" I spluttered.

"Oh, there's too much for you to learn. You're human after all – a strange choice for a man of Aiden's status." He commented.

"I didn't know about this ball. Emma, why didn't I know about this?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest and ignoring Octavian's sharp remark.

She shrugged apologetically. "Sorry?"

I tutted and tapped my foot on the ground. So not only do I have to meet his brothers and father, but I also have to go to a damn ball and have a stylist. And I thought we were just having a dinner with his father.

"Follow me – I can't dress you in here," he said the word 'here' in disgust and he clicked his fingers, producing two women with boxes spilling with clothing from the doorway. He walked out in long strides and I jogged to follow him, glaring from the corner of my eyes at Emma. She smiled weakly and hurried to catch up with him, leaving me running alone.

We reached a large room with bright lights after continuous jogging. I looked around in awe – mirrors adorned the walls and the room was bustling with noise, people and things. Girls were sat on the chairs whilst others did their makeup and hair and I was shoved and pushed by others getting past me. So this is what the fashion world is like?

He stopped suddenly and stepped into a little room at the edge of the main room and sighed, producing a pair of bright blue spectacle and placing them on the bridge of his nose.

"Ball rush hour is always too busy. Girls, clothes, stylists, and makeup everywhere – it's just too chaotic." He said tiredly, making exuberant hand gestures as he pushed me down into a seat, assessing me in the large mirror in front. I looked tired and weary and angry all at once – all in all, I looked like a fed-up teenager.